Like many in the community of cryptographers and security engineers, I’m sad that we haven’t better informed the public about the inherent dangers and questionable utility of mass surveillance. And like many American citizens I’m ashamed we’ve let our politicians sneak the country down this path.

In accepting the award I don’t condone the NSA’s surveillance. Simply put, I don’t think a free society is compatible with an organisation like the NSA in its current form.

When even the people the NSA is handing out awards to are publicly speaking out against the NSA's practices, perhaps it's time for the NSA to change?

A case for dismantling the NSA.

If the NSA is designed for intelligence, It's time to retire it. The case is that by not having the NSA, we can now make our enemies more paranoid then ever before. By not spying on anyone, every time we are not caught spying will only serve to make our enemies more paranoid that we are spying on them and simply not being caught doing it. Because we've been so invasive before, our enemies will think we are ever more stealth full and they will spend billions of dollars trying to uncover acts we are simply not doing.

Sure laugh, but this tactic has been used before. It's safe, within the law and effective. We can still claim we are not spying and be truthful. After all, with all the lying that's been going on, no one would know the truth if it hit them in the head anyway. And with the economy we have today, this makes perfect sense. (unless of course, the NSA was really designed for us citizens).

Have to say it seems his words might have carried more weight if he had said them in refusing their award rather than accepting it.

And this statement sounds as though perhaps he (and his friends/colleagues in his particular branch of the industry) could still do something about this if they so choose:
"Like many in the community of cryptographers and security engineers, Iím sad that we havenít better informed the public about the inherent dangers and questionable utility of mass surveillance."

But what are those people we put out of work by dismantling the NSA supposed to do to earn a living and support their families?? Oh yeah, that's right, they will have to join the millions of common folk/citizens (who they recently called their enemy)and suffer the fruits of their labor. I'd like to be the first to welcome them to the same level of economic embarrassment their corrupt leaders (and elected officials) have left "We the People". Hell, just make pot legal to vacate half the prison cells then we can fill the cells with these lying, stealing, cheating usurpers of our Democracy. As a 100% Disabled and Decorated Vietnam Veteran I want my Constitution Back, I want my Privacy back. We all need to do anything & everything possible to bring down our current Tyrannical Regime and reinstall the Democracy we once had. I love my Country but Hate its' current Government.....